Best - Casinos - 4u - Casino Glossary

Casino Glossary

Action - The amount of money wagered (put into action) by a player during an entire playing session.

Active Player - In poker, one who is still in play.

Add-on - In poker, the facility to buy additional chips in tournaments.

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Aggregate Limit - Total payout liability of a casino during any one game.

Aggregate Winnings - Cumulative or total winnings.

All-in - In cardroom poker, to call with (to bet) all your chips. If another player bets more chips than you have in a No Limit game, you can go All-in and stake your total stack against an equivalent amount of your opponent's stack.

All or Nothing - In Keno, a ticket that only pays if either all picked numbers are drawn or none of the picked numbers are drawn.

Ante - In card games, a bet required to begin a hand. The initial compulsory bet before you receive your cards in Casino Stud Poker.

Arm - A term used in the game of craps to denote a player who is so skilled at throwing the dice that they are able to alter the conventional odds of the game. Such a player is said to be 'an arm'. Whether or not such individuals actually exist or are simply the product of game legend is debatable. However, it is worth noting that the casino craps dealers are very adamant about the dice being thrown against the far wall of the table to ensure a completely random outcome.

Baccarat - Also called Punto Banco and Chemin De Fer (similar to Baccarat but requires skill). A table game using 6 or 8 decks of cards which does not require skill. See Baccarat on this site.

Banker - In card games, the dealer. In some card games, each player becomes a banker/dealer in turn.

Bankroll - Also known as 'roll' or 'wad' (colloquial). It pertains to the total money that either the player or the casino has on hand to back their wagering activities. A player's bankroll can be classified as existing on several different levels. At the highest level it pertains to all money specifically set aside to support all gambling activities. A subset of this bankroll is the players traveling bankroll, or the amount of money carried along to support gambling on a particular trip. The traveling bankroll can be further divided into a specific lesser amounts for each day of the trip, or into even smaller amounts called table sitting or session playing stakes which predetermine how much will be risked during any given session or table sitting. These different types of bankrolls often figure into the overall money management strategy the player uses to keep control over their gambling cash activity.

Barred - Same as Banned. Not allowed to enter the casino premises permanently.

Betting Limits - In a table game, the minimum and maximum amounts of money that a player can wager on one bet. You cannot wager less than the minimum or more than the maximum amount posted. Some casinos, in special cases, may extend the maximum limit at a table on request by the player.

Bingo - Bingo is a prize game played in halls. Basically, players buy cards with numbers on them in a 5 x 5 grid corresponding to the five letters in the word B-I-N-G-O. Numbers such as B-2 or 0-68 are then drawn at random (out of a possible 75 in American Bingo, and 90 in British and Australian Bingo) until one player completes a 'Bingo' line with five numbers in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal row on one of their cards and wins the prize. Bingo rules and payouts and play variations vary from place to place.

Black Book - The list of undesirable people who are forbidden to enter any casino in Nevada.

Blind Bet - In poker, a bet posted without the player sees any of his/her cards.

Break-Even Point - The break-even point is the point at which if you played forever, the bets you made would approximately equal the payoffs you would receive.

Burn Cards - Remove cards from the top of the deck, not to be dealt, and place them in the discard tray after a shuffle and cut.

Buy in, Buy-in - Converting cash into chips. The amount of cash used to purchase casino chips before entering a table game: blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, etc.

Capping - Referred to capping of bets. Placing extra chips on top of initial bet after the deal has begun. It is a serious form of cheating by a player.

Card Counting - Used in blackjack game. Recording (in memory) played cards (usually high cards) so as to establish a conditional probability advantage on the remaining cards against the dealer.

Carousel - A group of slot machines that are positioned in a ring, enabling a change person (to change bank-notes into coins) to stand in the center.

Casino Rate - A reduced hotel-room rate (price) that the casinos offer to good customers.

Catch - In keno, to catch a number means that a number you have marked on your keno ticket has been drawn.

Chase - Having lost money on a bet, 'chasing' is having another bet simply to try and get back the loss.

Check - In casino gambling, a check is another term for a chip. In poker, a player can 'check' in order to stay in the game but not bet.

Chemin De Fer - (French) A table game using 6 or 8 decks of cards, similar to Baccarat but requires skill. See Chemin de fer on this site.

Chip, Chips - Round plastic discs. Casinos require that you use chips for betting. They are purchased at the gaming tables and exchanged at the cashier's booth or cage.

Chip Tray - The tray in front of a dealer that holds that table?s inventory of chips.

Color Up - When a player exchanges smaller denomination chips for larger denomination chips.

Combination Way Ticket - In keno, a ticket in which groups of numbers are bet several different ways, allowing the player to spread money over more combinations.

Copy - In Pai-Gow Poker, when a player and the banker have the same two-card hand, or the same five-card hand. The banker wins all copies.

Cracking The Nut - Making enough money on a gambling venture to cover all expenses plus a reasonable net profit.

Credit Button - In slot machines or video machines, the button that allows players to bank coins in the form of credits.

Crossroader - An old term used to denote a cheat originated in the Old West practice of cheating at saloons located at crossroads. The term is still used today for casino cheats.

Cut - In card games following a shuffle before the start of a new round of play, when the dealer or player divides a deck into two parts and inverts them, using a cut card (see below).

Cut Card - A faceless card of different color, usually red or black, that is used to cut a deck of cards.

D'Alenbert System - A staking plan where one unit is added for a losing bet and one deducted for a winning bet.

Discard Tray - A tray on the dealer?s right side that holds all the cards that have been played or discarded in card games like Baccarat, Blackjack and Poker.

Double Or Nothing - An even-money bet. A bet that pays off exactly the amount wagered.

Doubling Down - A betting option in blackjack where the player's opening two-card hand is turned face up and player's original wager is doubled. The player is then dealt one additional card only, to complete the hand. In the event that the player beats the dealer's hand or the dealer busts, then the player wins twice the amount of their original wager. If the player loses, then the player loses twice the amount of their original wager.

Doubling-up - The basis of some widely used systems. After a loss the player doubles the size of his previous bet hoping to win back the money lost and make a profit. Also known as the Martingale System.

Draw - Relates to the poker games. Basically it means to draw a card (e.g. if you need a card to make a straight, you are on a 'straight draw' or are 'drawing to a straight'. In 'draw poker' game, it means the second round of cards that are dealt. The word draw has slightly different meanings in different contexts, although generally it has something to do with receiving more cards, with the hope of improving your hand. Draw games are games where at some point during the hand you are allowed to discard some or all of your cards, to be replaced from the deck. Drawing two is thus exchanging two of your cards. 'The draw' is the point during the game at which players may do this. By default, when someone asks you if you want to play some draw, they usually mean five card draw. In other poker games, drawing simply means staying in the game with the hope of improving your hand when more cards come. When you stay in a hand with the hope of improving, you are said to be 'on a draw'.

Drop Box - On a gaming table, the box that serves as a repository for cash, markers, and chips.

Even Money Bet - A bet with odds of 1:1. A bet that pays you back the same amount that you wagered, plus your original wager.

Expected Win Rate - In slot machines, the percentage on the total amount of money wagered that you can expect to win back over time.

Eye in the Sky - Slang for video surveillance cameras used by casinos, usually placed on the ceiling above the gaming area.

Fifth Street - In seven-card stud, the third round of betting is called fifth street because players have five cards. In Texas Hold?em poker, fifth street is the fifth card on board and the final round of betting.

Fill - In poker, to draw a card that makes a five-card hand (straight, flush, full house, straight flush).

First Base - At the blackjack table, the position on the far left of the dealer is considered to be first base and is the first position dealt with.

Fish - A player who loses money. (It is said that "If you can't spot the fish at the table, YOU are the fish.) See also "Shark".

Flat Betting - A way of betting where the same amount is bet on each wager. For example, if a player always bets $10 on each hand or spin and never raised or lowered their bet, they would be said to be flat betting.

Flat Top - A slot machine whose jackpot is always a fixed amount, as opposed to a progressive.

Flop - In poker games, such as hold'em and omaha, where five community cards are dealt. The first three of these cards are dealt all at once, face up, and are called the flop. Games with a flop can be called flop games.

Fourth Street - In Seven-card Stud poker, the second round of betting is called fourth street because players have four cards. In Texas Hold?em poker, fourth street is the fourth card on board and the third round of betting.

Front Money - Cash or bank checks/cheques deposited with the casino to establish credit for a player who bets against that money.

Going All-In (Also known as "All-In") - In cardroom poker, to call with (to bet) all your chips. If another player bets more chips than you have in a No Limit game, you can go All-in and stake your total stack against an equivalent amount of your opponent's stack.

Hand - Refers to the cards that you hold, or to everything that happens in a card game between shuffles of the deck.

Hard Count - Activity in which coin (hard) currency is counted. It is usually done in a special room under tight security. Counting the change from slot machines.

Hard Hand - In blackjack, any hand that does not contain an Ace valued at 11. (You can value an Ace 1 or 11 to suit you).

High Poker - Standard poker, as compared to low poker or lowball. In high poker, high hands win.

Hit - In blackjack, to take another card. The card received is also called a hit.

Hole Card - In blackjack, the facedown card that the dealer gets. In stud and hold?em poker, the facedown cards dealt to each player.

Hot - A player who is on a winning streak, or a slot machine that is paying out.

House - A casino or gambling center/centre. Also the operators of a gambling game.

House Edge - The casino in-built advantage, usually gained by paying less than the odds.

Inside Bets - A roulette bet placed on any number, or small combination of numbers.

Insurance - In blackjack, a side bet that the dealer has a natural. Insurance is offered only when the dealers up card is an ace. The insurance bet wins double if the dealer has a natural, but loses if the dealer does not.

Jacks or Better - In videopoker games the payout starts at a certain level ranking of hands. When playing Jacks or Better, if you get a pair of Jacks or a higher ranking, you win. You don't win anything on a pair of tens or lower.

Kicker - In a draw poker game, an odd high card held that doesn?t contribute to a straight or a flush, usually an ace or a king.

Laying the Odds - There are two fundamental forms of wagering, 'taking the odds' and 'laying the odds'. In most forms of sports betting, some odds are so high in favour of the likely winner that winning wagers get paid an amount less than the amount wagered by some percentage, and this is what is meant by 'laying the odds'. In most casino games the player is 'taking the odds' by wagering an amount that is less than they will receive if they win, that is; if you wager $1 you would win more than $1.

Layout - Cloth on a gaming table. Markings tell you where you can place your bets.

Load up - To play the maximum number of coins per spin that a slot machine or video game will allow.

Long Run - The number of rounds of play, hands or spins, needed for the ratio of wins to losses to reach a point where they are changed very little by the cumulative effect of outcomes.

Low Poker - Also called lowball, is poker in which the pot is awarded to the hand with the lowest poker value.

Marker - A check/cheque that can be written at the gaming tables by a player who has established credit with the casino. An IOU.

Match Play - The competition system used in tournaments (usually card games) in which two participants play a series of games which ends when one player accumulates a required number of points. Each game could be worth one, two, or more points.

Mini-Baccarat - The scaled-down version of baccarat, played with fewer players, dealers, and formality but following the same rules as baccarat.

Money Put In Action - This is not the actual dollar amount of money you bring to the table to play with. Suppose that you sat down at a roulette table with a $100 and proceeded to play 90 spins over, say, three hours, betting $10 on each spin of the wheel. If you multiply 90 spins by $10 totals $900. This would be the amount of 'money you put into action' even though your actual bankroll was only $100. This is one of the criteria some casinos use to assess your rating and eligibility for comps.

Natural - In blackjack, a natural is a two-card hand of twenty-one points. In baccarat a natural is a two-card total of eight, or nine.

Negative Expectation - The long-run disadvantage or loss of a given situation without reference to any particular outcome; that is, what you figure to lose on average after a considerable time of play, or after a large number of repetitions of the same situation.

Non-value Chip - A gaming chip which the dollar value is determined by the amount of the buy-in and the amount of chips taken (example: in roulette). Thus, a buy-in of $300.00 for 60 chips equals a value of $5.00 per chip. In roulette, this is uaually established by the "Table Minimum Bet" amount displayed on the table.

Number Pool - The range of numbers from which you select the ones you want to play. A typical lottery pool ranges from 1 to 60, and the keno pool is 1 to 80.

Nut - Either the overhead costs of running a casino, or the fixed amount that a gambler decides to win in a day.

Odds - Ratio of probabilities. The casino's view of the chance of a player winning. The figure or fraction by which the casino offers to multiply a bettor's stake, which the bettor is entitled to receive (plus his or her own stake) if they win.

On tilt - Going 'on tilt' is a bad reaction to an unlucky hand resulting in uncontrolled wild play.

Outside Bets - Roulette bets located on the outside part of the layout. They involve betting 12 or 18 numbers with one chip.

Palette - The tool (usually a long flat wooden baton) used in the Baccarat game to move cards on the table.

Payline - The line on a slot machine window on which the symbols from each reel must line up. Slot machines can have as many as 20 paylines, although most have only one.

Payoff Odds - The form of odds that are conventionally posted in the casinos. Payoff odds specify how much a winning wager will be paid for each wager or chip that was bet. The casinos post the 'payoff odds' in terms of the number of chips won relative to the number of chips bet.

Payout Percentage - Also referred to as the payback percentage, the percent of each dollar played in a video or slot machine that the machine is programmed to return to the player. Payback percentage is 100 percent minus the house edge.

Payout Table - A posting somewhere on the front of a slot or videopoker machine that tells you what each winning hand will pay for the number of coins or credits played.

Pit - An area of a casino in which a group of table games are arranged, where the center area is restricted to dealers and other casino personnel.

Pit Boss - A supervisor who oversees a gaming area. Usually supervises more than one table at the same time.

Pit Manager - A pit manager is in charge of all the table games, enforcing casino policy. He deals with any problems that may arise during the shift where a crucial decision must be made that may lead to a customer being dissatisfied or angry. Also, he handles Comps and dodges undeserving customers who are trying to get free Room, Food, Beverage (free RFB).

Playing the Rush - A poker term referring to a player who has just enjoyed a short-run of good luck marked by winning a very large pot of money in one hand or winning several hands in close succession. If the player subsequently begins to play more loosely or more aggressively they are said to be 'playing the rush'.

Plug - A shuffling technique that is sometimes employed in card games like blackjack where the game is often dealt from a multi-deck shoe. When freshly shuffled cards are brought back into action a substantial portion of the cards are kept out of play by the insertion of a cut-card at the back of the deck or shoe. The placement of the cut card marks the place where play will be stopped and the cards are again shuffled. During the play, used cards are stacked in a discard tray. When the cut-card is reached, the game is stopped, and the remaining un-dealt cards are inserted somewhere into the middle of the cards that have already been stacked up in the discard tray. The cards so inserted are referred to as a 'plug'. Such action is called 'plugging' the deck.

Pocket Cards - In poker where some of the player's cards are dealt to them face down. These cards are called pocket cards.

Poker - Basically a card game. But poker isn't just a card game - it is many card games. The majority of poker games do share some common features, especially betting in rounds and the ranking of hands. Poker is commonly played in cardrooms (often within casinos) and in private home games. The games played in cardrooms seem to divide into stud games, draw games, and flop games. In home games, however, anything goes, including games that seem to have no reason to be called poker. The varieties played in home games probably number in the hundreds. Some common cardroom games include Texas Hold'em, Seven Card Stud, Omaha, Razz, Lowball, and Pineapple.

Pot - In a poker game, the amount of money that accumulates in the middle of the table as each player antes, bets, and raises. The pot goes to the winner of the hand.

Pressing - A player is pressing the bet when they let winnings ride by wagering them along with the original bet.

Probability - A mathematical calculation that establishes the likelihood that an event will occur. Probabilities are expressed as numbers between 0 and 1. The probability of an impossible event is 0, while an event that is certain to occur has a probability of 1.

Progression Betting - A system of betting applied to many games where bet-size is systematically changed, up or down, across as series of rounds of play according to some predetermined formula.

Progressive - A slot machine whose potential jackpot increases with each coin that is played. When the progressive jackpot finally hits, the amount resets to the starting number.

Punch Board - Another lottery-type game. The player punches out a slot on a board for a chance to win a merchandise prize. Punch boards offering cash prizes are also common.

Punto Banco - European name for Baccarat; Punto is for Player and Banco is for Bank

Push - A tie hand between a dealer and a player. A round of play where neither the player nor the casino wins.

Qualifier - In poker, the minimum ranking a hand must have in order for it to be eligible to take part of the pot.

Quartet - Quartet Pool are conducted by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club. The investor is required to select the first four place-getters in a selected event in the correct order. Generally fields are confined to 14 starters.

Rack - A plastic container in which you can transport and count large-denominational coins, slot machine tokens, and casino plastic chips.

Rake - The money that the casino charges for each hand of poker. It is usually a percentage (5-10%) or flat fee that is taken from the pot after each round of betting.

Rated - Determination by the casino that a player's skill level is above average or on a professional level. A player's rating may be stored on computer and referred to the pit.

Riffling - A commonly used shuffling process. To accomplish a riffle, the deck is divided roughly in half and the two halves are interleaved by pulling the card corners up with the thumbs and letting the two halves 'riffle' together. Riffling is also sometimes called 'zipping' the cards. Like card Stripping (see below), the riffling process can span a range from a fine riffle to a coarse riffle.

River - In poker, the final card dealt in a hand of stud or hold?em. In seven-card stud, staying in until the fifth and final round of betting is called going to the river.

Round of Play - A round or hand of play can consist of a single wager or several wagers made during the time of a short wagering event. For example, in poker the round of play (wagering event) begins with the dealing of the cards and ends when the winning player takes the pot. In casino craps a round of play begins with the 'come out' roll and ends when the passline wagers are decided. This may take one or several rolls of the dice. In between, the player might have multiple wagers riding on several different numbers and other betting options. All wagers made between the time of the come out roll and the decision roll are considered to be part of that round of play. In roulette each spin is counted as a round of play, no matter how many bets you place.

Set - In Pai-Gow poker, players set their seven cards into two separate hands of two and five cards each.

Seventh Street - In seven-card stud, the fifth and final round of betting is called seventh street because players have seven cards.

Shark - A good/crafty player often posing as a fish early in the game. See also "Fish".

Shill - A person who actively plays in the game for the house, club, or casino. Usually seen at a Baccarat table to fill empty seats, until more real players join in.

Shiner - A tiny mirror or any reflecting device used by a cheater to see unexposed cards. A reflecting device used to try and glimpse the dealer's hole card.

Shoe - Device, usually a wooden box, used for holding and dispensing playing cards to be dealt. Shoe games are typically composed of six or eight decks of cards.

Showdown - In poker, after the last betting round, the players who remain in the pot must show their hands in the showdown to determine the winner.

Shuffle Tracking - A high level blackjack playing strategy used by card counters.

Shuffling - Is a generic term which encompasses all card mixing techniques used to prepare a deck or a shoe for continued play. All casino shuffling processes employ a combination of mixing techniques. These may include 'Stripping' or 'washing' the cards as well as 'riffling', 'boxing', 'plugging', 'cutting' and other off-spring techniques. All shuffling processes employ multiple riffles of 'clumps', 'picks', or 'grabs' to achieve some level of randomization. The shoe games, which use multiple decks of cards (4, 6, or 8 decks), will often employ the most intricate riffling patterns of all. In these, the picks are riffled together and then re-picked and re-riffled in complex symmetric patterns.

Shutter - A window covering a number on a reusable bingo card. The shutter can be pulled down to mark each number as it is called.

Silver Mining - Also called Slot Walking. The practice of looking for coins left in unattended slot machines.

Sixth Street - In seven-card stud, the fourth round of betting is called sixth street because players have six cards.

Slot Club Member - Slot clubs were invented for slot fanatics. By becoming a member you are given a card (like a credit card). Using your card while playing the slots (also table games in some casinos) helps you earn free points / cash. The rules, number of points needed to achieve regular club status, and the benefits given to the player are different at every casino.

Slot Walking - Also called Silver Mining. The practice of looking for coins left in unattended slot machines.

Snake Eyes - When you roll a two in craps, it is called 'Snake Eyes' - eyes because they look like eyes, snake because they are bad news (for the shooter).

Soft Count - The count of the contents in a drop box, bill validator or video game receipt collection.

Soft Hand - In blackjack, any hand that contains an ace counted as eleven is called a soft hand.

Spooking - Used in blackjack game. The act of standing behind the dealer to peak at the hole card and then secretly convey the information to a partner player sitting at the table. An illegal form of cheating.

Spot - Any number from 1 to 80 that a player selects on a keno ticket. It also refers to the number of numbers that are marked on a ticket.

Stack - A stack of chips, usually 20 chips in a column commonly used in Roulette.

Standing Hand - In blackjack, meaning a hand which hard-totals to 17 or more, which is very likely to bust if one more card is called and therefore the player is expected to stand.

Steaming - A blackjack term where a player has become frustrated with how badly the events of a session of play have turned out. 'Steaming' in blackjack has practically the same meaning as 'going on tilt' in poker. In either case the player has lost emotional control and is betting more aggressively and often recklessly in an attempt to turn things around.

Stiff - In blackjack, a hand that is not pat and that may bust if hit once. Stiffs include hard twelve through sixteen.

Straight Keno - The basic keno game, played by marking individual numbers on a keno ticket.

Streak Betting - Also known as 'Progressive Betting'. A system of raising or lowering the size of one's wager based on what happened on the previous round or rounds. There are basically two kinds of streak betting systems; negative and positive. In a positive streak betting or positive progression betting system the size of the player's wager is raised on the next round after a winning round. In a negative streak betting or negative progression betting system you do exactly the opposite by increasing the wager size on each subsequent loss. There is an almost endless number of variations of both negative and positive streak betting progressions, each one distinguished by when the progression is invoked, how much the wagers are raised or lowered, and when the progression is terminated.

Stripping - Is a shuffling technique which reverses the sequential order of the cards in the deck. For instance, imagine if a dealer took the first card off the top of a deck and placed it on the table and then took the second card off the top and placed it on top of the first card. If this process were continued until the 52nd card was placed on top, then the sequential ordering among the cards would have been completely reversed. This characterizes the basic process of striping. The process described above would be a very fine strip. Often the dealers will speed up the process by rapidly pulling small clumps of cards off the top of the deck rather than a single card at a time. The number of cards in the clumps determine how fine or coarse the striping process is.

Stud Poker - One of the two basic forms of poker game (the other is draw poker) and played with open or exposed cards (up cards) and with one or more concealed cards known as hole cards (down cards).

Sulky - The modern harness racing vehicle (a driving rig) developed from a single-seat. Earlier racing had used carts. In its final form the sulky is little more than a U-shaped shaft mounted on two wheels with a seat at the end of the U.

Surrender - In blackjack, to give up half your bet for the privilege of not playing out a hand. In roulette, you effectively lose only half on an even-money bet when the ball lands on 0.

System - A method of betting, usually mathematically based, used by a punter or bettor to try to get an advantage. A prominent factor in most systems, is the criteria used to determine when the player's wagers should be raised or lowered. See Systems on this site.

TAB - Totalisator Agency Board. The body appointed to regulate off-course betting (bets made by people who are not present at the race track).

Table Hold - The amount of money won by the casino table game from the players during an eight-hour work shift.

Table Stakes - In poker, stakes in which the betting and raising is limited to the amount of money a player has on the table in front of him.

Taking the Odds - There are two fundamental forms of wagering, 'taking the odds' and 'laying the odds'. In most casino games the player is 'taking the odds' by wagering an amount that is less than they will receive if they win, that is; if you wager $1 you would win more than $1. In most forms of sports betting, some odds are so high in favour of the likely winner that winning wagers get paid an amount less than the amount wagered by some percentage, and this is what is meant by 'laying the odds'.

Tapping Out - Losing one's entire gambling bankroll and thus having to stop playing.

Tell Play - Observing the dealer's body language and expressions to determine his hole card. In poker game 'tells' pertain to quirks or readable aspects of a players actions, verbal behavior, or body language that give away information about what cards they are holding.

Third Base - In blackjack, the spot nearest the dealer?s right hand, which will be played last before the dealer?s hand is played.

Third Street - In seven-card stud, the first round of betting is called third street because the players have three cards.

Time Cut - Money charged each player on a time basis by the casino or by the poker room owner. Charge is usually on a 3 minute or an hourly basis.

Toke - Toke is short for 'token'. A tip given to the dealer in the form of money or chips. Unlike tokens, tokes are more specifically the tips that the game dealers receive from the players. A player who is known to toke the dealer heavily is sometimes referred to as a 'George' or a 'Real George'.

Touch Wand - A pointing device used on some video keno machines to select numbers.

Tournament - Basically, a competition game between a group of players over a period of time. For example, in Poker tournaments a bunch of poker players sit down with the same number of chips, and eventually only one player has any chips left. In order to ensure that the event will finish in reasonable time, tournaments institute a schedule by which the blinds and/or antes increase. Tournaments are usually played with chips that have no value outside of the tournament. So a buy-in of $30 might get you $500 in tournament chips to play with, but you can't cash them out in the middle. The winner of a tournament (the last player to bust out) as well as several of the other top finishers are typically awarded prize money according to some predetermined schedule. Tournament details vary widely, but a typical arrangement might include an initial buy-in, a re-buy period during which a player who runs out of tournament chips may buy more, and an opportunity to add on to one's stack after the re-buys have ended. Other details about the structure can vary widely.

True Odds - The real odds of something happening. Actual odds taking into account the casino edge. The ratio of the number of times one event will occur to the number of times that it will not. The odds posted in a casino are usually not the true odds.

Underlay - A bad or unfavorable bet. An event that has more money bet on its happening than can be justified by the probability of it happening.

Up Card (Upcard) - The face up card of the dealer's initial hand in blackjack. Standard casino rules require the dealers to deal their own opening hands with one card face-up and one card face-down. The card that is dealt face-up is the dealers 'up card'. The card the is dealt face-down is said to be the dealers 'hole card'.

Washing (Card Washing) - A card shuffling technique where the dealer spreads the cards on the table face down and then proceeds to mix them around with his hands flat in a face-washing-like action before gathering them up and performing a more normal shuffle. Card washing is intended to remove any consistencies in the sequencing among the cards that new decks of cards have, or that were produced in play prior to the present shuffle. In standard table poker the cards are washed after every hand before they are subjected to a more conventional shuffling. In blackjack and baccarat, the the cards are washed when old decks are taken out of play and fresh new decks brought in to replace them.

Whale - A player who makes extremely large wagers. Unlike high rollers who consistently wager $100 or more per round, whales are typically those who make wagers amounting to thousands if not tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars per round.

Wild Card - A joker or other card that can be used as any other card to complete your hand in card games.

Wired cards (also, Back-to-Back) - In poker, a pair, trips, or four of a kind dealt consecutively or back-to-back in a hand, usually in a stud hand starting with the first card.